Fix Crooked Teeth with Orthodontic Braces

Most people’s teeth are a little crooked. Sometimes crooked teeth can cause pain when you chew or talk. Crowded or crooked teeth are harder to brush and floss and improper cleaning can lead to tooth decay and other dental problems. Your dentist might be able to straighten your teeth with dental braces.

More than 47% of American adults say that crooked teeth leave a negative first impression. And, nearly 72% of people agree that healthy straight teeth are typically treated better in social situations than those with noticeably crooked teeth, according to a recent survey.

Most often crooked teeth, too much space between teeth, overbites, and under bites are inherited traits just as the color of your eyes or size of your hands. But jaw-jolting accidents, as well as habits such as tongue thrusting and thumb sucking, can cause crooked teeth.

Problems Caused by Crooked Teeth

Interfere with proper chewing.

Make keeping teeth clean more of a challenge, increasing the risk of tooth decay and cavities and gingivitis.

Strain the teeth, jaws, and muscles, increasing the risk of breaking a tooth.

Make people feel self-conscious about their appearance and affect their self-esteem.

But another study also observed that if crooked teeth were not straightened with dental implants it did not lead to any medical dental complication later. Crooked teeth are perfectly healthy and normal as long as they are taken care of, in terms of, brushing and flossing.

Crooked Teeth Diagnostics

Your dentist can determine if your teeth are crooked and bite misaligned through a routine examination of your mouth, teeth, jaw, and facial appearance. Your dentist will usually refer you to an orthodontist – a dentist who specializes in the diagnosis and dental braces treatment of crooked teeth and misaligned jaws.

The orthodontist will likely take X-rays and teeth impressions to determine if and what type of treatment is needed. Once a diagnosis is made, your orthodontist can decide the best treatment for you. For most people, dental braces are necessary to correct the problem. You can get your crooked teeth straightened with dental braces no matter how old you are.

Straightening Crooked Teeth with Dental Braces

Braces are more than the means to a stunning smile – they can improve dental health and function.

Dental braces are plastic or metal brackets that are glued to your teeth and connected with wires that can be tightened. Braces move your teeth and straighten them out very slowly. Your braces are at work every moment of your orthodontic treatment.

The two main components of your braces are: the brackets that are placed on your teeth and the main archwire that connects them. The bracket is a piece of shaped metal or ceramic that we affix to each tooth. The archwire is bent to reflect your “ideal” bite. In other words, it reflects the way we want you to look after treatment.

Alternatives for Dental Braces in Fixing Crooked Teeth

Invisalign

Another option is Invisalign – clear dental braces. Patients wear a series of clear, removable orthodontic aligners that are adjusted as the teeth shift into place without metal or wires. A series of custom-made aligners are worn each for a period of two weeks. Each aligner moves the teeth progressively into place. Average total clear braces treatment time: a few months to 1 1/2 years. While orthodontists say Invisalign can be a good alternative to traditional braces, there are limitations.

It doesn’t goes with:

Vertical problems, where the teeth are at different heights, teeth are lower or higher than others

Teeth that are severely rotated,

Correcting bite issues

Porcelain Veneers

If you don’t have time to wait for orthodontic treatment and want instant results, porcelain veneers might be for you. Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin shells that are bonded to the front side of teeth to improve their cosmetic appearance.

Straightening your teeth with traditional orthodontic braces allows you to keep your natural teeth without having to remove natural tooth structure. If your teeth are healthy and just need to be aligned, orthodontics will allow you to preserve your natural teeth.

Comments

hi, im 23 years of age and feel like my teeth are getting more crooked everyday. can they keep bending as i get older? I have a massive fear of getting braces and would be so conscious with them, can you suggest any other options?

HI laura!
i just had my teeth braced for a month now.. and im already 34 yrs old! this is the only time i decided to have it fixed because I have a a lot of sisters and brothers and my parents couldnt afford to have braces. i lso noticed it affected my TMJ and becuase of that i also noticed the left side pof my face is not even with the right side..it sags a little..anyway..its better to have your teeth braced while you are young. its uncomfortable at first but youll get used to it. and i nooticed a positive thing about braces..if the person using braces is a little overweight…you will lose weight. i had..because i cant eat all i want all the time. not because its painful when you chew..well a a little at first especially if its meat…also.. it taskes me longer to brush my teeth everytime i eat ( its stedious brushing teeth with braces..takes me 5 minutes or more).so i end up not eating that often in a day..like before i eat like 5 times in a day…now its only 3 times.

Hi, I have dealt with crooked teeth since the age of 5. I am not exactly sure why my Mother never took me to an orthodontist to get braces, and now that I am 36 years old, I am in an even more desperate position to get them. My teeth are not just a little crooked, they are severely crooked, to the point that people stare. It hurts so much when I have to smile or even talk to people because I immediately feel like an alien or something. I lost my job 9 months ago and have not been able to get another one. I can’t help but think that at the interviews my disfigured teeth certainly hurt my chances of being hired. This has affected the formation of my lips some as well, not very noticeable, but I’ve noticed this more and more as the years pass. I am in desperate need of braces because I have a family to support, and I am so tired of feeling like and outcast. I just want to be able to smile and show my personality and not be embarrassed.

I am delighted to be visiting this site. I feel my teeth are getting more crooked everyday. Can they keep bending as I get older? And now, I have a massive fear of getting braces and would be so conscious with them, can you suggest any other options? By the way, thanks for sharing this information.

So many people suffer from crooked teeth! You’re not alone….but you should always get a consultation done before you go ahead with treatments to straighten your teeth. Try Invisalign Doctor Dr. Tinkler, his site has a lot of useful information. Check it out, you may find it gives you more information on how to fix your crooked teeth. Always do research 🙂 the net is full of info but make sure the Invisalign dentist is professional and has had a lot of experience.